castanets

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance

Then they were the castanets of a sinister dance. — The Passionate Elopement, Compton MacKenzie
It was a strange clicking noise in the distance not unlike castanets. — The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyle
* I could hear the castanets and the tambourine, the laughter and applause. — Carmen, Prosper Mérimée

bones, clappers, finger cymbals

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